after the quake

gga

I’m in a book group again and this is our first book. Funnily enough
when we all brought our picks to the first gathering there were two
Murakami suggestions - the other being A Wild Sheep Chase. We chose
after the quake as our first book (it was short and a short story
collection - a slightly commitment-phobic book group) and A Wild
Sheep Chase was pushed to the end of the list with a strong
suggestion to find a substitute. And now the suggester has left the
group! Oooh - scandal!

For all that after the quake was fantastic. It’s a collection of
short stories each following a single person’s life after the Kobe
earthquake. None of the characters lives were directly affected by the
quake: they didn’t live in Kobe, they apparently didn’t lose anyone
from their lives - but for each of them the quake was there, this huge
background event that has shuddered through them all.

The writing is spare, brief, highly evocative and, ultimately,
beautiful. Reading this very short collection was an unusual reading
experience: it was relaxing, peaceful. There was no urge to understand
what was going on, to read deeper - there was just a peaceful
journey. Apparently Murakami is to be read very literally and that’s
how I saw this. It seems to be full of allegory and deeper intent, but
I don’t think that’s what we’re supposed to read. It felt like a
series of beautifully told stories about ordinary people. People whose
lives had been massively disrupted - even though nothing actually
happened to them. And thinking on that, there is a strange
undercurrent of guilt: as if they should not be feeling pain while
there is so much suffering on TV.

I have a theory that there is something that connects together all the
stories told in this book. An earthquake is a sudden event following a
long build-up of pressure, after the quake the seismic fault lines
settle into a new state, one that is hopefully more
stable. Unfortunately, for us, it requires this sudden release to jump
to the new state. This is reflected in all the stories: the
characters’ lives were flowing along and suddenly the earthquake kicks
them into a new state. With an upheaval of their life. The book as a
whole is tied together by the final story, where the characters end up
living the life they had always intended. It may sound corny, but hope
from the change. And, as it is told quite subtlely, both in message and
style, you don’t feel the urge to cringe.

Some final comments: I read this immediately after Midnight’s
Children, the difference in
style was very striking. Throughout the book group this was a
hit. Even those who initially skeptical (due to cat torture, or overly
trendy covers) were won over. I’d recommend it, but don’t expect to be
grabbed by the collar and hauled on a ride. This is a slow,
contemplative book. Read for the enduring feeling of peace.